Capacity of Urban Green Infrastructure Spaces to Ameliorate HeatWave Impacts in Mediterranean Compact Cities: Case Study of Granada (South-Eastern Spain)
Metadata
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Delgado Capel, ManuelEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Heat waves Urban green infrastructure Land surface temperature Normalized difference vegetation index Green spaces Compact city Urban cooling capacity Landsat 8/9
Date
2023-05-16Referencia bibliográfica
Delgado-Capel, M.J.; Cariñanos, P.; Escudero-Viñolo, M. Capacity of Urban Green Infrastructure Spaces to Ameliorate HeatWave Impacts in Mediterranean Compact Cities: Case Study of Granada (South-Eastern Spain). Land 2023, 12, 1076. [https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051076]
Sponsorship
Pre-competitive Research Projects University of Granada Own Plan; Project PP2022.PP.34; Pre-GREENMITIGATION3Abstract
Heat wave episodes are becoming more frequent and severe worldwide, especially in areas
such as the Mediterranean region. This study is aimed at assessing the impact of heat waves in an
urban environment and the ways areas of urban green infrastructure (UGI) can play key roles in
moderating the impacts of these high-temperature events. We analyzed land surface temperature
(LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data retrieved from Landsat 8/9 satellite
images. These data were recorded during heat wave episodes from 2017 to 2022 in a representative
Mediterranean medium-sized compact city. We carried out a correlation analysis between LST and
NDVI per area type and as individual units to assess how UGI elements can contribute to the cooling
of the urban matrix during heat wave episodes. Those small green spaces distributed throughout the
city, defined as “Other” areas, showed stronger negative correlation. These spaces are particularly
relevant for Mediterranean cities, where highly limited space in city centers hinders the possibility
of having larger-surface UGI elements. The study highlights the need for further research into the
composition of those small public green spaces to understand how their components enhance the
city’s cooling capacity given the climate conditions and water scarcity in the Mediterranean region